Friday, 7 October 2016

This week, ‘African Start-Up’ reports from Lagos, Nigeria, meeting two
brothers looking to tap into a $98-billion-dollar industry through their
own coffeehouse chain.Since founding Café Neo in 2012, brothers
Ngozi and Chijoke Dozie have invested $400,000 and launched the chain
in several African countries, with over 10 in Nigeria alone.

“The word ‘neo’ means ‘gift’ in Tswana and it also ‘new’ in Latin. For
us we view coffee as a gift to the continent. We felt that through Café
Neo we could have the best African coffees produced by Africans, drunk
in Africa.”

‘African Start-Up’ learns how the brothers returned
to Nigeria hoping to fill a void in the countries coffee-loving expat
community. Among the infrastructural challenges faced by the Dozie
brothers, the lack of consumption of coffee in Nigeria appeared daunting
at first.

Chijoke explains to the ‘African Start-Up’ how Café
Nero overcame difficulties by creating an alternative coffee shop: “We
were always sceptical that Nigerians wouldn't take to coffee… what we
tried to replicate was that third space. It wasn't just ‘come and drink
coffee’. It's ‘come and hang out’, free Wi-Fi, meet people, jazz music
playing in the background.”

Inspired by European coffeehouses,
the Dozie brothers created a space for entrepreneurs, as Ngozi explains
to ‘African Start-Up’: “I think it's through the fact that we are
providing a platform for entrepreneurs to grow. It's also through the
events that we are hosting and partnerships, where we can plug in
entrepreneurs… For most start-ups, when you start, there isn't really
any space for you. If you try and work from home, there's probably is no
power. If you try to go to the hotel, it's not conducive, but Neo is a
space where you come and meet people. We try and create space that's
conducive to that kind of chance/serendipitous meeting.”

With a
cup of coffee ranging from 50 cents to $3 a cup, Café Neo has become
popular to a diverse pool of coffee drinkers, and the Dozie brothers
hope to continue their growth in Africa.

Ngozi tells ‘African
Start-Up’: “There's definitely a coffee renaissance taking place in
Africa, and we think that we are at the forefront, but we also want
others to join us in spreading the word… I can't think of a better place
for an entrepreneur right now than in Nigeria. It's a fantastic
opportunity - but don't tell anyone… let's enjoy the opportunity first!”